Singapore was the third country after the US and UK to implement Android Pay. And given our high smartphone adoption rate at 150% (December 2016), mobile wallets aren’t all that difficult to implement.

By loading multiple cards, we can select the most optimal one to maximise perks from purchases as well.

By referring back to transaction histories, mobile payments also “improve transparency and can work to provide greater control on spending”, Director Gordon Shields of J.D Power (global market research company) shared.

And all this opens new avenues for hackers.

A Goldmine For Data Brokers

A data broker is someone, or a business entity, that collects information about consumers from both public and non-public sources. This information is then sold to others.

Data consist of personal info from birth dates to addresses, to race and social media connections, as well as content shared and interests.

Image Credit: NYTimes

While information can be used in ethical ways, data banks are also a hotspot for illegal activity – and smartphones are not spared the damage.

According to a March 2017 report, 55% of 2,400 survey participants felt their data was being sold to third parties such as advertisers.

And they aren’t wrong.

In Singapore, 90% of mobile apps such as fitness trackers do not adequately declare what data is collected and how it is used, even though this flouts the Personal Data Protection Act.

Upon set-up, the app was also kind enough to inform me that my phone’s security status was atrocious.

But after a few quick swipes, it also allowed me to enable complete protection.

Security Master in action / Image Credit: Samantha Tay / Vulcan Post

Addressing the issue of how people feel insecure about the Internet, Security Master also offers “SafeConnect”. This function protects and encrypts browsing data, as well as information shared across the net.

Meanwhile, for anyone who has used their phone for long enough will feel the pain of the device slowing down. This problem can be addressed with the Boost function, which clears the phone of junk memory so that the processor can work in optimal conditions.